May is Cystic Fibrosis month!

I have been busy the last few weeks raising money for the Great Strides walk for Cystic Fibrosis. I was a little late getting out to collect cause of all the appts and stuff I had going on. I had actually got my pledge forums when I was still in the hospital after my double lung transplant. Next year will be bigger and better for fundraising! Next year I am going to try and focus on some corporate donations. As it is to date my team is up to over $1200 our set team goal was $1000 so were doing awesome. The local paper here wrote an article about my transplant and the walk coming up. So lets hope it gets some more donations :) Here's the link for you to read and I will also include the link to pledge online if ya like.....you know you want to!
The newspaper story:
http://www.simcoe.com/news/news/article/1014954

Great Strides website to my sponsor page:
http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=1088255&langPref=en-CA&Referrer=http%3a%2f%2fwww.cysticfibrosis.ca%2fen%2fGreatStrides%2findex.php


Thanks everyone, every dollar counts! Lets make C.F stand for Cure Found!!!

3 Month Assessment and Life Happenings

This week I began my 3 month post transplant assessment. Its actually a week ahead but its the only time they could fit me in due to the coming weekend being a long weekend making next week a short week. Today was mostly the routine Monday, started off with Pulmonary function test at 7:45, only this time it included and arterial blood gas. These are only pleasant when a real experienced person does it and doesn't have to poke around in your arm with a needle to find the artery. They started off with my left wrist and after a few attempts moving and jamming the needle ever so deeply into my arm and me cringing in pain they gave up and moved onto the right wrist. He then decided to call in another resperologist to give it a shot and after just a little poking around finally got it. I have had them before when one shot they got it and didn't feel a thing, guess the Resperologists at St Mikes are just better for that lol. Well after all this time trying to get it, it ran into my time for my routine blood test and fasting blood test. So I had to rush up to the 12th floor and get it done out of my picc line. Made that just in time to take my 9:00 antirejection meds, which have to not be taken till the morning blood work is done so they can check for the rejection med levels in my body. After that was CT scan and chest x ray which were both pretty quick and was done by 10:00. Now came the wait till clinic at 1:30 :( this is one day I wish I had physio for something to kill time. I ended up just heading back to the underground parking and sitting in my truck listening to the radio. I headed up to clinic around 12:30 and waited, surprisingly they called me in just after 1:30 which was surprising, last time my appt was 2:30 and didn't get called in till almost 4:00.

I seen Dr C who had 2 surgeons, one from France and the other I believe from Sweeden. She was all excited to see me so I could show them my transplant pics of my lungs. They were totally amazed. My cyclosporin level is finally up to 277 so its within target now, they had to put me on 275 mg 3 times a day cause it wasn't working on 2 times a day, the coordinator told me there is only 3 of us that are on 3 times a day due to bad absorption due to Cystic Fibrosis. I was back on the road home by 2:30. I don't have clinic now for 2 weeks and she said after that not for my 6 month mark which is August, its gonna be nice to have less traveling to the city. I will still have to go to either Orillia or Barrie for weekly blood test and pulmonary function test. I have to make some calls tomorrow when I get home after my bronchoscopy.

In other news I am now single :( Crystal and I broke things off. She has alot going on in her life and doesn't feel its time for a relationship. We agreed to stay friends and who knows what may happen in the future. So here I am back into the dating scene, maybe it will be a little easier not having to drag around an o2 tank but in hind sight I find it hard to find someone that I am comfortable with when dealing with everything going on health wise, that was one nice thing about Crystal she had basically already gone thru it all. This was actually the first relationship since I got separated/divorced almost 4 years ago. Dunno if that's pathetic or what lol. But to me its hard to meet people or get up the guts to make the first move/introduce myself, break the ice lol.

The last week or so I've been working like crazy in my garage, something I haven't been able to do in over a year. Its nice to get some grease under these ol nails lol. I picked up a parts jeep which will lead me into my next story. I found a parts jeep on Kijiji and went down to Toronto to see it. I was mainly looking for a decent body for "SEANSJP" This one was in good shape with only a couple little holes to repair. So anyways the owner comes out into his driveway and the first thing out of his mouth is "hows your transplant" I almost fell down, how did he know I never mentioned anything to him at all, he is a complete stranger lol. Turns out he googled my email seansjeep and came across this blog and read it. He said he wanted to know who was gonna buy his jeep. So anyways we chat ted for a bit and told him I would take the jeep. He then said he would knock $100 off the price cause of everything I've been thru with transplant. Just too cool!

So ya couple of weeks ago me and a buddy went down with a tow dollie and picked up the jeep and brought it home. Its just about ready to have the body lifted off of it. The rest of the jeep I will tear down and sell the parts.

I am hoping to return to work in another couple of weeks, as long as everything looks good on my bronch.

This Saturday im planning a big bonfire in my back yard. I am hoping the rain lets up, suppose to rain right up till Friday, I have a feeling there isn't gonna be and dry wood lol. So we will see.

I think that covers just about everything that's been going on right now, its rather long cause I haven't updated in awhile just been too busy!